Cohen's Clothiers to Shut its Doors After 115 Years

For generations of Baltimore area bar mitzvah boys and their families, buying a suit at Cohen’s Clothiers has been a special part of that sacred rite of passage.

But on Jan. 12, the family-owned Cockeysville retailer announced on its website and Facebook page it will close its doors after 115 years in business.

Longtime proprietor Gilbert Cohen said the store will close in several weeks after a liquidation sale. “It’s time,” said Cohen, 81, noting that the store’s current lease runs out in late April.

Cohen’s news comes on the heels of recent closing announcements from such beloved local Jewish-owned businesses as Diversions, Donna’s, Greetings & Readings, Trillium and Tuxedo Pharmacy.

Cohen said the owners of Yorktowne Plaza, where his store is located, indicated to him that the complex will eventually be renovated. He said he decided not to sign a new lease because a renovation might have meant Cohen’s would likely move to another part of the shopping center.

“Add to that the impact of online business,” said Cohen, a Cockeysville resident and Beth El congregant. “It’s taken a toll on retail stores. It’s hurt us. It’s not devastating, but it’s hurt. Add to that the fact that I’m approaching my 82nd birthday.”

The store originated with Cohen’s Kiev-born grandfather, Max, who opened the business in 1904 in East Baltimore after years of working as a pushcart peddler. By 1914, the store had already outgrown two spaces and re-settled into a new location at 516 South Broadway in Fells Point.

It would remain there until moving to the store’s current location, at 64 Cranbrook Road, in 1969. Over the years, the Cockeysville store underwent two expansions and today consists of 10,000 square feet.

Max’s son, Aaron, who was Gilbert Cohen’s father, ran the store for many years. After his his death in 1952, Aaron’s eldest son, Martin, operated the business with Aaron’s widow. Gilbert Cohen joined them after graduating college and became the store’s sole owner in 1972.

Cohen admitted he is deeply saddened by the store’s demise. “I’m not happy. I loved it. I’ve done it my whole life,” he said. “It’s bittersweet, but a little bit more bitter than sweet. I would have liked to continue a little longer.”

When hearing about Cohen’s announcement this weekend, Mount Washington resident Michelle Clay said she was quite surprised.

“No one even thought of going anywhere else,” said Clay, a Baltimore native whose son, Sammy, recently became a bar mitzvah. “We asked around [about buying a bar mitzvah suit] and the word was, ‘Go to Cohens.’ [Store manager] Alan Pressman helped us, and the process was so easy. Going suit shopping was not at the top of Sammy’s list, but Alan made it fun. There was a great selection, and Alan honed in on what we wanted. He asked Sammy his opinion as much as he asked for ours. …

“I don’t know what future bar mitzvah boys will do without Cohen’s.”

Cohen said the bar mitzvah suit sales component of his store’s business was “important, to be sure. We wanted to make sure that people were satisfied. The bar mitzvah business needs service. And not what the department stores call ‘service’ — someone standing behind a counter. That’s not service. Larger stores couldn’t begin to provide the service we did.”

But Cohen stressed that bar mitzvah attire was only one area in which the store specialized.

“We had a significant segment with the private schools for 40 years,” he said. “We had a premier audience and I valued it. It’s been a good life for me and it’s made me a decent living. People say, ‘If I could do it again, I’d do it differently.’ If I could do it again, I’d repeat it all.”